A homeowner took to Reddit to share their displeasure with their homeowners association after the group butchered an olive tree on their property.
Posting in the r/arborists subreddit, the user explained their plight after showing the severely pruned tree.
They showed a tree where many of its branches had been cut down to the trunk, and the vast majority of its canopy had been cut off in the process.
"This is the second round of them hacking at the trees and bushes in our courtyard," they wrote in the caption. "And before I offer to the HOA to look for an actual trained tree trimmer, I'm hoping you guys can give me some insight on what's 'normal,' because to my untrained eye, this looks horrible!"
Issues like this are, unfortunately, all too common when dealing with overzealous HOAs. While the associations do have some benefits in helping to keep property values up and splitting the cost of communal upkeep, the downside is that they often come across as authoritarian and draconian in their code enforcement, and they often do things against the wishes of homeowners.
At their worst, they've been known to block the installation of solar panels and other environmentally friendly upgrades, fine entire neighborhoods for trees, and even levy massive fines on residents for hail damage.
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The best way to combat overzealous HOAs is to join them, make your voice heard, and work to change their bylaws.
Commenters were horrified by the cuts made to the tree.
"Those cuts look terrible, Bring this up with HOA and advocate for a proper tree company," one said.
"As an olive farmer I can tell you that this is a completely clueless pruning, it will neither help for productivity (which might not be of interest for you) nor will it make it beautiful," another Reddit user said. "However the good thing is: it's an olive tree…if climatic circumstances are good, it will 100% not die, and you will just have to let it grow for a few years (it will shoot crazy mad everywhere...) and then look at it again and make some decisions."
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"That poor tree deserved so much better. Terrible cuts were made by an unqualified person," a third commenter said.
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When's the last time you had your trees inspected? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
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